Light!

Light!
Words of Faith 5-3-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 John 1
[5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light;
in him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

One of our favorite summertime visits is to the Royal Gorge in central Colorado. You may have heard of or visited this canyon, which is ten miles long and 1000 feet deep and cut by the Arkansas River. You can walk across a swaying suspension bridge built in 1929 (Don't look down!) or take an inclined train ride down to the bottom.
If you go to the bottom of the Royal Gorge, it is a very long ride. As you descend, you sink gradually deeper into the shadows. It gets colder and colder until you reach the river rushing at the bottom. The river lies in these shadows most of the day. Most of the day, the sun does not shine into the deep canyon. But at just the right time, the light does come. At the one penetrating angle, the light comes crashing in and chases away the darkness. In fact, some of the most dramatic photos of the Gorge are of this brilliant sunlight penetrating the darkness.
God tells us through John that the coming of Jesus is a light that shines into the darkness. The coming of God's light in the person of Christ penetrates to the greatest recesses of any human ravine. There is no darkness, shadow, or crevice, which can ultimately hide from the penetrating light of Jesus. When the light shines, there is no darkness in the light. It is impossible. When we choose to walk in the darkness, we rebel against Him and cannot claim to be in fellowship with God. But when we walk in the light, we gain fellowship with all that the light has illuminated.
John is definitely a "no‑-shadows" kind of guy as he expresses the truth of God. Either we are in the light or not. We do better to confess that we are not in the light than to lie and fool ourselves. At least when we are honest, we are at a starting point to get to know God. As John has received and communicated the truth of Christ, there is no "gray area" where a Christian can live. We are either in the light or we are not. We may think we can cling to a crevice. But there is no shadow dwelling in Christ. No cave hiding. We get in the light or we are not in Him. The marvelous thing is that in the light we are not blinded. Instead, we are blessed. In the light, the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. Where are you today?
The Light has come. In Him there is no darkness at all. You cannot drag your shadows into His light. The only choice is to come out of the darkness into Him.

Lord, Jesus, thank You for the brilliant light of Your coming. Illumine me. Drive away the darkness. Purify me from all sin. Shine through me today. In Your name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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